


a brief trip underwater

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aquariums, First Dates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-12 00:57:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4459202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> “Kenma, look!” he said, and turned his head only to see that Kenma wasn’t watching the fish. Instead, his full focus was on Hinata. His expression was gentle, and the entirety of his face was lit up with soft blue light from the water. Hinata paused, eyes fixated on Kenma. He looked really pretty lit up like that, but he didn’t want to dwell on that fact for too long. </i>
</p>
<p>A story about Kenma and Hinata's first official date and the various things that happen there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a brief trip underwater

Hinata stooped to chain his bike to a streetlight, then stood straight again. The night before, he’d surprised Kenma with tickets to a nearby aquarium for the two of them; their first official date. He had the weekend off from school, so that gave him enough time to take the trip by himself. The front doors of the aquarium were in sight, seeing as he’d parked his bike right next to the entrance. He didn’t approach them just yet, though. He needed to find someone first.

It didn’t take long before he spotted the other, sitting on a faraway bench with his phone held in both hands. His face was turned down and away from the sunlight, and gold dust was scattered across his cheekbones and his lips and lashes. The few strands of blonde hair that fell in his face were like woven silk in the sunlight, and even the section that was growing in shone like copper. 

Hinata’s expression brightened immediately. “Kenma! I’m over here!” He didn’t wait for his companion to react, however, before he quickened his pace. Stumbling once, he broke into a light jog and stopped short right next to the bench, then dropped down into the seat next to Kenma.

“Shouyou.” Kenma blinked, raising his head a fraction of a centimeter so their eyes could meet. His gaze was soft, pale gold focusing on Hinata with dazzling warmth. He silently put his phone away before continuing. “You’re here so soon?”

“Yep! I needed to get up at 5 in the morning, and I think I woke up my sister, but I did it! The aquarium’s reeeally far from my house, but I’ve biked longer distances before. It wasn’t a big deal,” Hinata said.

“Hm? I didn’t think you were serious when you said you’d take your bike here.” Kenma said, but his tone wasn’t harsh. Rather, it was amused. “Did you run into any trouble?”

Not really, just some traffic, but it wasn’t a problem since I was on a bike. Like I said, it wasn’t a big deal. Come on, if we stand in line now, we won’t have to wait too long.” Hinata got up, taking Kenma’s wrist in his hand as he stood. He tugged on his sleeve, looking very much like an impatient child. Kenma got to his feet, taking Hinata’s hand in his and leading him to the ticket line.

\---

They got their tickets and filed inside with the rest of the crowd. There weren’t many people standing by the ticket machines, just a couple families with their kids and a group of college students from a nearby university. Immediately after stepping through the doors, Hinata got an idea.

“I wanna see the dolphins! Kenma, can we see the dolphins?”

Grabbing a brochure from the front desk, Kenma scanned it until he found the information. “The dolphin show doesn’t start for another half hour, I believe.”

“But we can see them without the show! Come on, please? They’re so cool!” Hinata was clinging to Kenma’s arm with both hands and leaning on him, trying to read the brochure over his shoulder. 

“Alright, if you really want, I’ll take you there,” Kenma said. 

Hinata’s eyes grew bright. Galaxies, sunlight, stardust. “Thanks, Kenma!” he said, and kissed him on the cheek for as long as it takes to blink. Kenma felt his lips graze his skin, and he smiled without thinking.

“Don’t mention it,” Kenma said, tucking the pamphlet away in the pocket of his jacket. “Come on.”

Hinata slipped his hand into Kenma’s once more, interlacing their fingers. He tugged him towards the double doors that led to the first exhibit, clearly excited about their trip. Pushing through the door with his free hand, he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he saw the room.

The two of them were on a bridge in a glass dome. The ceiling, the walls, everything around them was filled to the brim with clear blue water and alive with different types of fish. It felt just like they were at the bottom of the ocean, trapped in a bubble. It was a breathtaking sight, and when Kenma looked over at Hinata, crystal constellations were alight in his eyes.

“Uwoooah! Look! We’re underwater!” Hinata rushed forward a few paces and grabbed the railing, leaning over to try and touch the glass. He barely brushed it, however, before Kenma took ahold of his elbow and guided his hand away from the tank.

“Careful, you’ll disturb the fish,” he said. 

Hinata took his fingertip and pulled his lower eyelid down, then stuck out his tongue and scowled. Overall, it looked rather silly. When he saw his expression, Kenma covered his mouth, hiding a smile. Satisfied with this result, Hinata went back to hanging off the railing. Both of his feet were propped up on the lower rung and his body was bent halfway over the bar. Kenma was worried that one of the staff there would catch him like that, either that, or he’d fall.

He watched the fish swim past, completely enthralled. They were all different shapes and sizes and colors and swam past his field of vision, gone as soon as he registered them. When a particularly colorful one went by, he pointed it out, turning to Kenma to make sure he caught it. 

“Kenma, look!” he said, and turned his head only to see that Kenma wasn’t watching the fish. Instead, his full focus was on Hinata. His expression was gentle, and the entirety of his face was lit up with soft blue light from the water. Hinata paused, eyes fixated on Kenma. He looked really pretty lit up like that, but he didn’t want to dwell on that fact for too long.

“I saw it,” Kenma said, as soon as their eyes met, but he knew Hinata would see right through that statement.

“No, you didn’t. You’re supposed to be watching the fish!” Hinata announced, pouting, and returned to his position on the railing. Kenma gave him one last look before finally turning towards the tank. He watched a few fish go by, each one bigger and more colorful than the last. As Kenma watched, a large tropical fish swam right up to the glass of the tank. It stared Hinata down for a good three seconds before swimming away. Placing his elbow on the railing, he turned to the side, glancing at Hinata again.

“Shouyou, did you see that one?” he asked. “It looked right at you.”

“Huh?” Hinata said, then looked back at Kenma. “Yeah, I saw. It’s probably just curious or something. That, or it’s admiring me.”

“Maybe. But my guess is that you’re too close to the tank,” Kenma said, and extended a hand to Hinata. He took it and stepped down, but after his feet touched the floor, he didn’t let go. 

“You can let go of my hand now,” Kenma said, the faintest traces of a smile crossing his lips.

“I don’t wanna,” Hinata half-mumbled, and lowered their joined hands. Then, he buried his face in Kenma’s shoulder, pressing a few kisses there. Raising his head, he let go of Kenma’s hand to cup the side of his face. He wove the tips of his fingers into his boyfriend’s golden-blonde hair and leaned in, so close that their noses brushed… before he laughed. 

“Somehow, I get the feeling that we’re being watched.”

Kenma looked back to the tank, and sure enough, the tropical fish was back and watching the two of them. He cracked a smile and pulled away from Hinata at last. Then, he checked his phone, and checked the aquarium pamphlet as well.

“If we hurry, we’ll get to the dolphin show just in time. They’re starting in five minutes.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Hinata asked, and tugged on Kenma’s sleeve again. “Let’s go!”

\--

The show had already started when the two of them arrived, but it was only a few minutes in. They still had enough time to get a front row seat. Hinata was bouncing in his chair every time the dolphins did a flip or jumped through a hoop. Even Kenma looked excited, but it was a quiet kind of excitement, like the silent buzz of electricity through a coil of wire.

“Whooaa, this is so cool! Did you see that, Kenma?” he said, nudging the other boy with his shoulder. Kenma looked from the tank back to Hinata, and smiled, small and gentle.

“Yeah. It was pretty amazing.”

One of the dolphins jumped a little too close to the edge, and water splashed all over the front row, soaking the two of them. Hinata flinched and jumped and covered his face, and even Kenma looked a little shocked. However, his first reaction was to check his phone to make sure it wasn’t damaged. Once he was certain that it was safe, he looked back at Hinata, fighting the urge to smile. Smiles soon turned to laughter, and before long, the two of them were in stitches. 

Kenma breathed a deep sigh, calming himself. Then, he leaned against Hinata, nestling his head into his shoulder. 

“You know what? I’m glad that you invited me here, Shouyou.”

Hinata smiled and rested his head on top of Kenma’s, but kept his eyes on the dolphin tank. One of them jumped through a hoop. The crowd cheered. 

“Yeah. Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> that was fun 2 write but im getting sick of lookin at it so here take it
> 
> also the aquarium i set it in is based loosely on an actual aquarium in tokyo?? [this one](http://www.aquarium.gr.jp/) specifically. it's only a loose frame of reference tho but idk i just wanted to give u a feel for what i was picturin
> 
> anyway have fun stay in school kids


End file.
